Work Text:
“You need to stop worrying.”
His husband stopped as he crawled into the bed and looked at him with honest confusion. “Huh?” Red Son gave a small groan and a sigh. Even after all these years he still felt awkward and terrible at comforting others but this was important. MK was clearly bothered by the way their son was maturing, especially when compared to his twin brother, but he was also still struggling by keeping his anxieties to himself.
At least Red had learned one thing these past twenty years of their relationship. He learned to read him like a book. “Stop worrying about him.”
The raised eyebrow and absolutely adorable tilt of his head almost made Red break down right there. “About who?”
“Xiaobo.” MK tensed up and froze again. Got him. Red Son was right about what had been bugging his Light, not that he doubted himself.
“He’s not - I’m not worried about him. Why would I be worried? He’s totally fine and healthy and - and he’s -“
“Just the same as he was twelve years ago. Quit trying to lie to me, Noodle Boy, you’re obviously upset about him not being the same as his brother.” At least him shutting up at that was a sign of him thinking it over. MK stared at and clenched his hands into the covers for a minute, a minute that Red Son allowed him to have, before speaking up again.
“I just expected him and Peter to grow up together. But instead Peter’s acting like the teenager he is while Xiaobo is basically a toddler.”
“Xiaobo’s actually aging pretty fast considering who he got it from.” It was true - at least based on the stories Red’s parents had told him. At the age of three-hundred he appeared and acted just like what the humans referred to as ‘toddlers’ but that never bothered anybody since it was expected of a demon. “At least he has matured these past sixteen years.”
MK whined and once again Red almost broke down. “But it feels like he’s stagnating and I don’t know how to handle that. I was already going in clueless on how to raise a kid and having two at once was scary enough but now one of them is so much further ahead than the other and I don’t know what to -“ He interrupted him with a kiss. He had learned relatively quickly that the easiest way to get his noodle boy to shut up was to surprise him with this simple act of affection. Also helped that nobody could possibly speak in the middle of it.
“Relax, Love. You’re doing great. Personally I find Peter’s growth to be strange. Having to give him ‘The Talk’ at so young an age was very nerve-wracking for me.”
“Yeah, I remember. You were freaking out for no reason. I mean, we actually gave it to him a little late.” Red narrowed his eyes at him for that comment. As cute as it was hearing it in that dreamy tone thanks to the kiss, it was also annoying.
“Focus. I did have a reason. I had been multiple centuries older before I learned anything of the sort and even then it was mostly instinct.”
“But he’s not a demon like you, he’s -“
“Half demon. Not to mention you have your own brand of immortality now, too. Logically speaking it makes perfect sense that one of the twins is maturing at the same rate you did and the other more like me. Well, still faster than me but you get the idea.”
When MK leaned into Red Son silently asking for some cuddles, he obliged without a fuss. He wrapped his arms around his husband and held him close, enjoying the coolness the other let out against his own burning skin.
“Can we sit like this for a while? I know you’re probably tired but -“
“I’m not tired.”
It was the truth, despite that look he received accusing him of the opposite. Red Son was not tired - in fact, he was craving something much more intimate than this simple hugging - but he would be good. He would hold off on those desires to give his Light any and everything he asked for.
“Are you still going to worry about him?”
“Yeah.” MK answered way too quickly so Red Son tensed and hugged the other a little tighter, unable to help a slight glare in his husband’s direction. “I’m always going to worry about him, same as Peter, but I’ll try not to think about how fast - or slow - he’s maturing anymore. Even if it’s only because you’re so sure it’s no big deal.”
Red nodded and shifted enough to be able to kiss MK’s shoulder. Several times. And moving to kiss more of his skin. He could both feel and hear the other laugh as he did it and grinned since he knew it was working.
He would continue to take care of all of his boys, both physically and mentally. His baby monkey, his little bull and his noodle boy. Always.